NapaLife See this week’s music and future events. For those who live in Napa Valley – Download Napa Wine Biz. and those who wish they did See happy hours. An Insider’s Look at Napa Valley Volume 16, Number 27, July 12, 2021 15th Festival Napa Valley starts this week The 15th Festival Napa Valley begins this week with concerts from chamber music and symphony to rock, pop and jazz. For some reason, probably because some of its events are so elegant, many people think Festival Napa Valley is expensive and exclusive. Nothing could be further from the truth, and each year it becomes more accessible. This year they are presenting free concerts in the amphitheater at the CIA at Copia at 11 a.m. every day from July 13 through July 24. Festival Napa Valley’s Blackburn Music Academy musicians join Frost School faculty and guest artists for an admission-free chamber series Wednesday, July 14 through Tuesday, July 20 and Saturday, July 24 at 11 a.m. at Jackson Family Wine Amphitheater at CIA at Copia. Walk-up seating is available as space allows. You can find the details at festivalnapavalley.org. Reserve with the Festival Napa Valley Box Office via [email protected] or 707-346-5052. Tickets to the evening concerts at Charles Krug and Copia are only $15. Here are the evening concerts this week: • July 16: Opening night with Lisette Oropesa at Charles Krug Winery (sold out) • July 17: Saturday at the Symphony at Copia. The program includes the West Coast premiere of “Chrysalis Extended,” written by the festival’s composer-in- residence and 2019 Miss America Nia Imani Franklin, and a new concerto by Cuban pianist Aldo López Gavilán. Concerts are at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Of course, they also have patron dinners and special events that help pay for the free and discounted concerts. One example is the Arts for All Gala headlined by Jennifer Hudson. It takes place on July 18 at Nickel & Nickel. 2021 Classical Arts Film Festival selections made The Jarvis Conservatory has selected the films for the fifth annual celebration of International Classical Arts in film Aug. 26 to 28. You can see the selections at www.jarvisconservatory.com. They will be shown in four film blocks over three days. Tickets are $15 per block. Save 20% with the festival pass. The Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main St., Napa 1 Wine tasting and drinking Vine Star Wine Bar opens in St. Helena Vine Star Wine Bar has opened in the former Yao Wine tasting room in south St. Helena. The building and business are owned by Jay Behmke. It will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 7 p.m. for the foreseeable future. It operates with a Type 42 Wine and Beer Public Premises permit, which is typically used to operate as a bar serving wine, beer, other non-alcoholic drinks, along with a food menu, but not full meals. Vine Star Wine Bar will also be a wine shop and espresso bar, serving coffee, pastries and other breakfast foods from morning to early afternoon. It will offer other baked goods, chocolate, ice cream and desserts, too. The property does not have a commercial kitchen, and they will not prepare food on site but buy prepared foods from licensed restaurants or catering companies. In addition, it will sell products such as clothing, luggage, home furnishings, paintings, sculpture and other art works. It plans to host live jazz, folk and classical music without amplification on Friday and Saturday evenings. The wines served are from a wine list of 12 to 24 wineries. At least 75% of the wines will come from Napa Valley wineries and feature Napa Valley appellations. During the day, they will offer flights of different wines. They also plan tastings of chocolates and coffee. In the evening, Vine Star will be a traditional wine bar, where customers can order wine by the glass and small plates. Vine Star Wine Bar, 929 Main St., St. Helena Hospitality and education at Cuvaison Winery The Cuvaison hospitality team will preview new experiences available at its estate on Saturday, July 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event includes three mini-experiences: a hike through the vineyards with 2020 Pinot Noir Rosé; a food and wine pairing with 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, En Cigar and 2019 Pinot Noir, Pommard and a seated tasting of three Cuvaison red wines paired with cheeses. Tickets are $150 for two guests at www.exploretock.com. That includes bottles of Cuvaison 2019 Chardonnay, Méthode Béton and 2019 Pinot Noir, Pommard. Cuvaison, 1221 Duhig Road, Napa, 707-942-2455 2 Cabernet Classic coming to Meritage The first Cabernet Classic will be held at The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa from Thursday, Aug. 19 through Saturday, Aug. 21. It will benefit the Patron Foundation. The celebration follows the Chardonnay Classic held in May. I mentioned it June 14, but here are more details. It brings together Master Sommeliers, wine aficionados, industry experts and wineries and will include more than 20 expert-led tastings of 100s of wines. The weekend kicks off with “Cabernet Sauvignon Seen Through the Eyes of the Antinori Family” on Thursday morning. Each day’s activities will feature one premier tasting after lunch • Thursday: Around the World with Cabernet • Friday: Retrospective of Cabernet Sauvignon • Saturday: Legends of Bordeaux and Napa Throughout the weekend guests are invited to taste other varieties. See details of the schedule at www.meritagecollection.com. Tickets start at $700 for day passes and $2,000 for weekend passes at www.cabernetclassic.com. Guests can also buy passes for just the Grand Tasting for $300 where they will be able to experience 30 of the weekend’s wines and meet with the winemakers. The event will donate $25,000 to the SommFoundation to help provide scholarships for the next generation of winemakers, master sommeliers and wine experts. Find more information at MeritageResort.com and VistaCollinaResort.com. Fayard Winery joins Vintner’s Collective Fayard Winery is the latest company to join the wineries pouring and selling wines at Vintner’s Collective tasting room in downtown Napa. Julien Fayard was the director of winemaking for Philippe Melka for a decade. Vintner’s Collective, 1245 Main St., Napa, 707-255-7150, www.vintnerscollective.com Chuckle of the day A local winery sent out this pitch, assuming that writer would be impressed that its offerings are so expensive and exclusive. It's serving a lunch that costs $500 per person and includes a five-course menu crafted by a chef from Healdsburg’s Single Thread Farm. Each bite will be paired with 96–100- point wines from the winery. The release notes: “It’s only fitting that Napa’s most exclusive tasting experience is the brainchild of the valley’s most exclusive brand, (xxxxx) known as the Hermes of wine…The owner has five coveted vineyard plots in Napa [Valley?] (One shares a fence line with Screaming Eagle[!]), and the wines are not sold in any stores or found on any wine lists.” And I’d never heard of the “most exclusive” winery. 3 Food and restaurants More rumors on new restaurants in the Riverfront Rumors, but fairly credible ones, tell me that the Basalt space in the Riverfront will become another restaurant from Masaharu Morimoto but with more of a pan-Asian flare like Morimoto Asia in Hawaii. Matt Cordeiro from Corderio’s is reportedly taking over the old Pear space for a seafood restaurant. Assuming that’s true, that leaves two spaces to go – the former Fratelli and the Corner. Solage opens Picobar, a new contemporary Mexican restaurant Auberge Resorts’ Solage in Calistoga has opened Picobar, a poolside restaurant serving modern Mexican cuisine. It joins the existing Solbar restaurant on site. Executive chef Gustavo Rios has designed the resort’s second restaurant as a fusion of his two homes: coastal Ensenada, Mexico and Northern California’s wine country. Its name “pico” means “peak” and the menu focuses on seasonal dishes with ingredients from local and regional purveyors. The restaurant is part of a comprehensive $30 million property renovation that includes new suites and a redesign of the guest rooms and the pool deck and Solbar’s outdoor lounge just before the tony Four Seasons resort opens across the Trail. www.aubergeresorts.com/solage, 755 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, Meet Monday Bakery & Café Monday Bakery has reinstated its lunch program with a weekly rotating lunch menu featuring local flavors of soups, salads, pasta, grilled sandwiches, toasts and more. See www.mondaybakery.com/cafe. It's open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily except Wednesday. 707-699-2960, 1412 Second St., Napa Wilfred’s Tiki Bar Wilfred’s Tiki Bar is hoping to open in August in the old Burger Fi space on First Street, Napa, where Napa Creek meets the Napa River. The general manager is Michael Cobb, who ran High Roller Tiki Lounge in Solvang. Chick-fil-A skipping Napa The Register reports that the Chick-fil-A restaurant proposed for Soscol Square won’t be coming to Napa after all. The company isn’t talking but the proposed outlet faced vocal opposition from many community members because of its long support for anti-LGBTQ efforts. In truth, Napa isn’t that big a market anyway, and we’re pretty well known for preferring independent restaurants. A Kohl’s department store will anchor the proposed development with other stores. 4 News from Yountville Some news from last Thursday’s Yountville Sun: Tina Stevens, a shop selling travel clothing for women has opened in space formerly occupied by Senses by JCB.